Slide show: Guide to portion control for weight loss

Slide show: Guide to portion control for weight loss

Use visual cues for portion control

Portion control is an important concept when you're trying to lose weight and keep it off. But you don't need to memorize a food list or carry around measuring cups to get a better handle on serving sizes. Instead, use common visual cues to remind yourself of appropriate serving sizes. How? Many foods match up to everyday objects.

For example, a medium pepper is about the size of a baseball and equals one vegetable serving. While not all foods perfectly match visual cues, this method can help you better judge serving sizes and practice portion control, which may help with weight loss.

If you think the servings seem small, don't panic. Remember that you can eat multiple servings every day from each food group.

Fruits

One small apple is about the same size as a tennis ball and equals one fruit serving, or about 60 calories. The same is true for a medium orange, which is also the size of a tennis ball and about 60 calories.

Vegetables

Half a cup of cooked carrots is about the same as half a baseball and equals one vegetable serving, or about 25 calories. You can eat even more raw leafy vegetables. Two cups of spinach — think of two baseballs — are about 25 calories.

Carbohydrates

Half a cup of whole-grain cooked pasta is about the same size as a hockey puck and equals one carbohydrate serving, or about 70 calories. If pasta isn't your thing, picture brown rice instead. You can have 1/3 cup of cooked brown rice for 70 calories.

Protein

A 2.5-ounce piece of cooked skinless chicken is about the same size as two-thirds of a deck of cards and equals one protein/dairy serving, or about 110 calories. The same is true for a 2-ounce patty of cooked lean hamburger, which equals one serving and has about 110 calories.

Putting it all together

It may take some practice to become a better judge of serving sizes and portions, especially as you put entire meals together. But the more you practice visualizing the cues, the more control you'll have over portion sizes. Controlling portion sizes also means controlling calories — and that's key to achieving your weight-loss goals.